Portable planing machines are known, for example from DE 198 53 374 A1, which have, in a housing, a rotatably mounted planing shaft which is driven by an electric drive motor and on the circumferential side of which a knife with a blade is arranged. In order to cool the electric drive motor, portable planing machines of this type can have a fan wheel which is driven by the motor shaft of the drive motor and is arranged on the end side of the drive motor. The fan wheel sucks air out of the surroundings and generates an air flow which is guided along the drive motor by the housing of the portable planing machine.